With approval from the Food and Drug Administration, a company called Cyberkinetics Inc. is planning a clinical trial of a system in which a tiny microchip will be implanted in the brains of five paralyzed people so they can operate a computer by thought alone. (Several research groups have already implanted devices in monkeys, allowing them to control cursors on computer screens or move robot arms using their brainpower alone.) CalTech neuroscientist Richard A. Andersen says, "Among many people in the field, there's a feeling now that the time is here for moving the technology to test in humans." To implant the chip, a small hole will be cut in the patient's skull, and the chip will be placed on the surface of the brain at the motor cortex, which controls movement. (New York Times 13 Apr 2004) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.html (From News Scan Daily)
Posted by sachauncey at April 14, 2004 01:56 PM